Mechanical latch relay

Claim 2

A LATCHING RELAY, COMPRISING A HOUSING, A PLURALITY OF SPACED ELECTRICAL TERMINALS, SECURED TO SAID HOUSING A PAIR OF SWITCHES IN SAID HOUSING, ACTUATING MEANS ON SAID HOUSING OPERABLE MANUALLY TO CLOSE ONE OF SAID SWITCHES TO COMPLETE A FIRST CIRCUIT BETWEEN A FIRST PAIR OF SAID TERMINALS. MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LATCHING SAID ONE SWITCH IN ITS CLOSED POSITION EACH TIME IT IS MOVED THERETO, MEANS FOR CLOSING THE OTHER SAID SWITCHES TO COMPLETE A SECOND CIRCUIT BETWEEN A SECOND PAIR OF SAID TERMINALS AFTER SAID ONE SWITCH HAS BEEN LATCHED CLOSED, AND MEANS INCLUDING A RELAY COIL IN SAID HOUSING OPERATIVE, WHEN ENERGIZED, TO RELEASE SAID LATCHING MEANS, SAID COIL BEING CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH SAID ONE SWITCH, WHEREBY SAID COIL MAY BE ENERGIZED ONLY WHEN SAID ONE SWITCH HAS BEEN CLOSED BY SAID ACTUATING MEANS.

Claim 3

A latching relay as defined in claim 1, including holding means operative upon the energization of said coil and the release of said latching means to hold said switches closed until said coil is subsequently deenergized.

Claim 4

A latching relay as defined in claim 2, wherein said actuating means comprises a button mounted on said housing for movement manually from the exterior of said housing from an inoperative to an operative position thereby to effect closure of said one switch, and means normally holding said other switch open and operative to close said other switch after said one switch is latched closed and said button has returned to its inoperative position.

Claim 5

A latching relay as defined in claim 1, wherein a magnetizable armature is mounted in said housing adjacent said coil for movement responsive to the magnetic field developed by said coil, when the latter is energized, resilient means normally urges said armature to an inactive position in which said field is not strong enough to effect movement of said armature, said latching means comprises a latching element on said armature, and said actuating means is operative, upon closing said one switch, simultaneously to move said armature from its inactive position to a first active position, and to move said latching element from a released position to a latched position in which said latching element releasably holds said armature in said first active position.

Claim 6

A latching relay as defined in claim 4, including means mounting said armature for movement by said field from said first active position to a second active position, when said coil is engergized, and means resiliently mounting said latching element on said armature and operative to shift said element to its released position, each time said armature is moved to said second position, said field developed by said coil being operative to hold said armature in said second active position until said coil is deenergized.

Claim 7

A latching relay as defined in claim 5, wherein said one switch comprises a stationary contact connected to one of said first pair of terminals, and a movable contact connected to said coil and movable by said armature into engagement with said stationary contact to close said one switch when said armature is in either of its active positions.

Claim 8

A latching relay as defined in claim 5, wherein said actuating means comprises a reciprocable actuator movable manually from a first to a second position to shift said armature to an active position, said means for closing said other switch comprises a flexible switch arm movable with said actuator, said other switch comprises a first contact on said armature and a second contact on said switch arm normally disposed in spaced relation to said first contact, and said switch arm is operative, when said armature is in either of its active positions, to move said second contact into engagement with said first contact to close said other switch upon return of said actuator from its second to its first position.

Claim 9

A latching relay as defined in claim 5, including means for holding each of said pair of switches closed when said armature is in either of its active positions.

Claim 10

A latching relay, comprising a housing, a plurality of electrical terminals secured to said housing, a relay coil mounted in said housing, an armature mounted at one end of said coil to pivot between two active positions in which the armature is responsive to a magnetic field developed by said coil, when energized, and an inactive position in which the armature is not responsive to said field, a pair of normally-open switches in said housing, means connecting one of said switches in series circuit with said coil between two of said terminals, means connecting the other of said switches in series with a second circuit extending between two others of said terminals, manually operable means on said housing including a button movable manually from a first to a second position to shift said armature from its inactive position to one of its active positions, a flexible latch mounted on said armature and movable by the last-named means into engagement with cooperating latching means in said housing releasably to latch said armature in said one active position, when said coil is deenergized, and means for closing said switches when said armature is in either of its active positions and said button is in its first position, said field being operative, when said coil is energized, to shift said armature from said one to the other of its active positions, and to retain said armature in said other active position until said coil is subsequently deenergized, said flexible latch being releasable automatically from said cooperating latching means upon movement of said armature To said other active position, whereby said armature is free to return to its inactive position when said coil thereafter is deenergized.

Claim 11

A latching relay, comprising a housing, a plurality of electrical terminals secured to said housing, a relay coil mounted in said housing, an armature mounted at one end of said coil to pivot between two active positions in which the armature is responsive to a magnetic field developed by said coil, when energized, and an inactive position in which the armature is not responsive to said field, a pair of normally-open switches in said housing, means connecting one of said switches in series circuit with said coil between two of said terminals, means connecting the other of said switches in series with a second circuit extending between two others of said terminals, manually operable means on said housing including a button movable manually from a first to a second position to shift said armature from its inactive position to one of its active positions, a flexible latch mounted on said armature and movable by the last-named means into engagement with cooperating latching means in said housing releasably to latch said armature in said one active position, when said coil is deenergized, and means for closing said switches when said armature is in either of its active positions and said button is in its first position, said field being operative, when said coil is energized, to shift said armature from said one to the other of its active positions, and to retain said armature in said other active position until said coil is subsequently deenergized, said flexible latch being releasable automatically from said cooperating latching means upon movement of said armature To said other active position, whereby said armature is free to return to its inactive position when said coil thereafter is deenergized.

Claim 12

A latching relay, comprising a housing, a plurality of electrical terminals secured to said housing, a realy coil mounted in said housing in series circuit with one of said terminals and having a magnetizable core mounted coaxially therein in series circuit with said one terminal, an armature movably mounted in said housing for cooperation with said core and carrying a first electric contact, a first flexible switch arm movably mounted in said housing in series circuit with a second of said terminals and carrying a second electric contact engageable with said first electric contact, a flexible latching member secured to said armature to move therewith and normally urging said armature in one direction, a detent for holding said latching member and said armature in a latched position in said housing, a manually movable actuator mounted in said housing in position to move said armature and said switch arm in one direction and to dispose said latching member in position to engage said detent, a third electric contact fixedly mounted in said housing in series circuit with a third of said terminals, a second flexible switch arm mounted in series circuit with said coil and operable upon movement in one direction to engage said third contact, an actuating member positioned to be engaged by said armature when said armature is moved by said actuator in said one direction of movement of said armature to engage said second switch arm with said third electric contact, said first switch arm being operative upon release of said actuator to move said second electric contact into engagement with said first electric contact, and said core being operative upon energization of said coil to move said armature and said first flexible switch arm again in a direction to engage said first and second contacts, said latching member flexing thereupon to disengage said detent.

Claim 13

A latching relay, comprising a housing, a plurality of electrical terminals secured to said housing, a realy coil mounted in said housing in series circuit with one of said terminals and having a magnetizable core mounted coaxially therein in series circuit with said one terminal, an armature movably mounted in said housing for cooperation with said core and carrying a first electric contact, a first flexible switch arm movably mounted in said housing in series circuit with a second of said terminals and carrying a second electric contact engageable with said first electric contact, a flexible latching member secured to said armature to move therewith and normally urging said armature in one direction, a detent for holding said latching member and said armature in a latched position in said housing, a manually movable actuator mounted in said housing in position to move said armature and said switch arm in one direction and to dispose said latching member in position to engage said detent, a third electric contact fixedly mounted in said housing in series circuit with a third of said terminals, a second flexible switch arm mounted in series circuit with said coil and operable upon movement in one direction to engage said third contact, an actuating member positioned to be engaged by said armature when said armature is moved by said actuator in said one direction of movement of said armature to engage said second switch arm with said third electric contact, said first switch arm being operative upon release of said actuator to move said second electric contact into engagement with said first electric contact, and said core being operative upon energization of said coil to move said armature and said first flexible switch arm again in a direction to engage said first and second contacts, said latching member flexing thereupon to disengage said detent.

Claim 14

A latching relay, comprising a housing, a relay coil mounted in said housing and having a magnetizable core, a movable armature mounted in said housing and disposed in operative relation to said core, a resilient latching member connected to said armature and normally urging said armature normally to a position spaced from said core, a detent mounted in said housing for engaging said latching member, manually-operable means movable from a normal, inoperative position to operative position to move said armature from a first inoperative position to a second position in engaagement with a first said core, and means operative upon movement by said manually-operable means of said armature manually to said second position to establish an electric circuit to said core and to move said armature to said second position, and means operative, upon release of said manually-operable means, to return said manually-operable means to its normal position and to disengage said armature from said core and to establish simultaneously an electric circuit to said coil and to disengage said latching means from said detent while maintaining the electric circuits through said coil and through said core.

Claim 15

A latching relay, comprising a housing, a relay coil mounted in said housing and having a magnetizable core, a movable armature mounted in said housing and disposed in operative relation to said core, a resilient latching member connected to said armature and normally urging said armature normally to a position spaced from said core, a detent mounted in said housing for engaging said latching member, manually-operable means movable from a normal, inoperative position to operative position to move said armature from a first inoperative position to a second position in engaagement with a first said core, and means operative upon movement by said manually-operable means of said armature manually to said second position to establish an electric circuit to said core and to move said armature to said second position, and means operative, upon release of said manually-operable means, to return said manually-operable means to its normal position and to disengage said armature from said core and to establish simultaneously an electric circuit to said coil and to disengage said latching means from said detent while maintaining the electric circuits through said coil and through said core.